The Beginning
by SamiSami
Summary: All characters to JK Rowling. Al's first time to Hogwarts. Will he like his school?


As Albus waved a last goodbye to his parents and his sister, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt. What if he was in Slytherin? Or Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw would be okay… but what about the news? Albus could see the headlines. "Potter's boy NOT in Gryffindor?" Albus shuddered and continued down the corridor of the great steam train. James had caught up with his friends, being a third year. Behind him, he saw Rose struggling with a large bag. Albus considered about sitting with a girl, and soon agreed and strode up to Rose.

"D'you… wanna go find a compartment with me? Unless you know someone, of course…" Rose's face brightened.

"Of course I would, Al! Let's get an empty one." She hoisted the bag on her small shoulder, pushed her bushy red hair away from her face and started searching for empty seats.

"What's in that bag?" inquired Albus.

"Hmm? Oh, this? It's a bag of books Mum said I might like. She lent me her copy of 'Hogwarts, a History'. I've read it twice already!" As Rose babbled on, Albus was reminded of what his dad, the legendary Harry Potter, had told him what Hermione Granger was like. Rose, her daughter, met this description almost exactly.

"…There are so many subjects that sound so interesting! I wish I could take them all…" Rose sighed. "Al? Are you listening?" She waved a hand in front of his face. Albus jumped.

"What? Oh, yeah… hey, here's an empty cabin," he said, and pushed open the door for her. She lightly stepped inside and laid the bag on the seat next to hers. Albus sat awkwardly across from her, nothing to say.

"Er… did you catch the Quidditch game last Friday?"

Rose made an exasperated noise. "Is that all boys know? Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch. All Dad and Hugo talk about is Quidditch!" She brushed away a lock of her hair. "I mean, they're never concentrated on their studies. Oh, dear, I bet Hugo will fail his very first year!"

Albus bit his lip. "Um… I'm sure he won't…" Albus instinctively thought it was a bad idea to sit with his cousin on the Hogwarts Express.

Albus heard banging down the hall. To get away from talking to Rose, he peeked his head out the door and saw Scorpius Malfoy knocking a few first-years out of the compartment they had. Then he and his friends occupied it. Frowning, Albus invited the two kids into their compartment to sit with them.

"Thanks, mate," said the boy, who was slightly pudgy, with sandy hair. "I'm Ben Creevey. And… I bet you're Albus Potter, eh? Dad talks about you all the time. Said that your dad and Uncle Colin were great friends."

Albus shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, something like that." He turned to the dark-haired girl.

"And you? Who're you?"

The girl looked at him oddly. "Annie Thomas. Your dad knew my mum, kind of. My mum was Hannah Abbott. Her name changed when she married Dad." Her face brightened again. "Hey! Your dad knew my dad too! They were roommates! Dean Thomas! You've heard about Dad, haven't you?"

"Er…yeah," replied Albus. He was tired of all these questions of his father. How about a question about him, for a change?

Rose looked around at the bunch. "Have you all studied for Hogwarts yet? What books have you read?"

Ben frowned. "Why would we read over holiday? Save that for school, right?"

Albus nearly smacked his head against the door. This, of all things, was the worst to tell Rose Weasley. He braced himself for the blow.

"What?" she shrieked. "You didn't study over break? Aren't you worried at all about what will happen to you?"

Ben flinched. "I…didn't really worry about it. That much…"

"Hmph. You're going to fail. And honestly, I hope you don't think those bewitched quills are going to work, if that's what you're going to try. They don't allow then at the school." Rose turned her nose up as if she was disgraced by his presence.

"I didn't say I was going to cheat—''

"Well, what other option do you have? You're as dumb as a twig!"

Annie opened her mouth to retaliate, but shut it quickly. Albus decided he would handle it.

"Rose, relax. NO one will fail, and don't say that to Ben."

Rose bit her lip and shook her head. "Don't ask me for answers when you're not going to pass."

Albus rolled his eyes and started a talk about the school houses and which one they might go into. All except for Rose, of course, who sat in a corner. After a while, though, she tentatively joined in the conversation, which welcomed her. Soon, they were all talking, and Rose's mood had improved.

There was a bell ringing out in the corridor. Albus opened it and saw the snacl trolley, laden with sweets. All four grinned and began rummaging around for money. Soon, the seats were filled with Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills, Pumpkin Pasties and Treacle Tart. They munched happily on the snacks.

There was a knock on the door a while after. Ben slid the door open, James was there, looking annoyed at something.

"We're almost there, Al. Mum made me watch out for you and tell you when to get changed and all," he said, and left, banging the door shut.

"Excellent," said Albus, his stomach fluttering. They were so close… so close to Hogwarts. The next seven years. Annie pulled aside the curtain of the window, revealing a dark blue sky. Not being able to help himself, Albus grinned, grabbed his robes and two chocolate frogs and went to go change into his black robes.

When he came back, the three of them clapped. Albus was beginning to lose the happiness and his anxiety came back. Would he be in Slytherin? He remembered what his dad had said to him. That the Sorting Hat takes your will into account. Albus breathed in deeply and tried to forget.

Ben and the girls left to go get changed as well. Albus grabbed a few more sweets, and thought about his classes, and if Rose was right. Should he have studied? What if he was told that he was too stupid to actually be in Hogwarts?

At the peak of his worry, his friends came back. Albus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they had nervous expressions on their faces too. Albus looked out the window. The top spires of the castle could be seen now. He felt his stomach clench as he though of the expectations he would have to live up to as being Harry Potter's son. James was a Beater on the Gryffindor team, and one of the most popular in his grade. Could Albus do that well, too? Lily was very pretty, just like his mother had been. What if his little sister was even more known than he was? Would he ever get a girlfriend? Would all the teachers hate him? The questions spinning around in is head made him feel sick and dizzy.

Albus saw Rose glance up from the corner of his eye.

"You all are almost vomiting, too, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Of course."

"Vomiting is not the start of it."

Albus sighed. "No use in fretting. Let's just forget about it." The train creaked to a stop. "Let's go, and try to avoid my brother."

Ben slip the compartment door open unsteadily. The rest of the train had begun to bustle about, claiming lost things and talking to friends. The foursome uneasily stepped out.

Staying together, they all squeezed through the hordes of bigger, older kids and made it out of the train. They had caught a glimpse of James, and Albus had promptly sped away, knocking into several disgruntled sixth years.

Albus heard a familiar booming voice. "Firs' years! Over here, firs' years! Albus, Rose, hullo! Welcome ter Hogwarts!" Hagrid grinned at them. Albus, Ben, Annie and Rose joined the growing group of first years in the huddle around Hagrid.

"That all o' 'em?" he boomed, scanning the premises with his eyes. "Alright, let's go!"

Hagrid led them to the lake which shone in the darkness. "Okay, only four ter a boat, an' no shovin'. The boats row themselves, so just sit tight."

The first years scrambled to occupy the boats in the front. Hagrid himself took a whole boat. Albus, Annie, Ben, and Rose sat in a boat together, clutching the sides in their anxiety.

"And…off!" Hagrid's roar set the boats to go in the direction of the castle while he gave a short explanation on what would happen inside. He assured several of the first years that the Sorting Hat was not biased at all, and that Headmistress McGonagall didn't really have large warts obstructing her nose.

When the boats hit land, some of the first years clambered off immediately, eager to finally see Hogwarts. Albus slowly climbed off the boat, his hands sweating uncontrollably. He stumbled up to Hagrid, almost slipping. Hagrid clapped him on the back. "Harry—no, James, ah, _Albus! _It's grea' ter see ya!"

Albus looked up slowly. "I think I'm gonna be sick, Hagrid."

Hagrid dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Don' worry! It'll be fine."

Albus noticed a slur to his sppech. "Hagrid?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you had too much firewhisky today?"

Hagrid laughed. "Not any more 'an needed for a good cel'bration, eh!"

Albus shook his head, not really caring. He staggered up to the large metal castle doors and took a deep breath. The doors magically opened, welcoming them inside, where it was clearly very warm. The huddle swarmed into the castle, craning their necks to get a good look.

"First years! Please, control yourselves!" said a sharp, harsh voice. The room hushed. "I am Headmistress McGonagall. This will be the way you will address me from this day forth, understood?" She paused to see approval. "Now, when we proceed into the Great Hall, you will each stand in line, where I will call you up to the front to place the Sorting Hat upon your head. It will then place you into the house you have been sorted into, and you will go to the assigned table. It's very simple, and I expect utmost cooperation." She turned and waved her wand at huge oak doors at the end of the wide corridor. They opened, and heads turned on the inside of the room, which was filled with an astonishing amount of students.

Albus rested his hand on his stomach and looked at his feet, seeing Rose do the same. He whispered to her out of the corner of his mouth.

"Can you do this?"

"No, I really can't. It's…frightening."

Albus inhaled sharply. "We can do this," he assured both his cousin and himself nervously.

A/N: Hey! I wanted to write a fanfic about Harry's kids. I really like the idea, and I hate the names. O:

I'm not sure if I should continue this. So fave, review, please! I LOVE criticism! Help me out by telling me what I'm not doing right. Thanks!

Oh… I don't really know anything about Albus's friends. I just remembered two names, and gave them kids. xD

Sami, out.


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